I’ve spent the past couple of years reading copious amounts of romance — believe me, save for monster smut, I’ve worked through almost every sub-genre by now. (I will finally get around to posting a list of recommendations this week, because I am tired of sending it around on like three different apps.)

Anyway. I read a lot of romance this year. I’ll probably read a lot of romance next year. I should probably stop reading right now, though, and continue working on the edits of the novel I was supposed to have finished two days ago. What else did I read in 2025? There were some belated discoveries, the kind that make me kick myself for not having gotten to it sooner, and I read some nonfiction for work.

So, in no random order, books I loved/recommended/raved/texted about this year (with some links to pieces about the books etc.)

• For me this was a big Ali Hazelwood year, and I think somewhere in the middle of Deep End my brain chemistry altered. It’s not for everyone, fwiw. Also, I am looking forward to the adaptation of The Love Hypothesis. (I was unaware of the whole fanfic connection to the casting but I am told this is very important.)

• Garth Greenwell - What Belongs to You. (Kicked myself for only discovering this in 2025. His newsletter is also great!)

• David Nicholls - You Are Here.

• Ibtisam Azem - The Book of Disappearance. (Stunning, deeply unsettling.)

• Banu Mushtaq - Heart Lamp, translated by Deepa Bhasthi. (Beautiful. I almost missed my stop on the train while reading one of the stories.)

• Sang Young Park - Love in the Big City, translated by Anton Hur.

• Casey McQuiston - The Pairing. (I got this recommendation off a knitting/books podcast, and what a revelation! Yearners, gather!)

• Lily King — Writers and Lovers, and Heart the Lover. I read both of these on days when I was not feeling great about work. Were these emotionally healthy decisions? No. Do I regret it? Also no. File under books that unlock something within you, help you cry it out, and then the writing stays with you for days after.

• Mahesh Rao - Half Light.

• Betty Corrello - 32 Days in May.

• Laura Wood - Let’s Make a Scene. Possibly my favourite book of the year! I cannot stop recommending it! It should be sold in pharmacies as a pick me up! I am lending/gifting it to people as a pick me up! It is wonderful and exactly what I needed at that moment in time, and as it turns out, all the time. If you love a good pop culture reference and romance and understand leaning, you will love this. I own digital and paperback copies of this so I am never without. Can a romance heal you? This one can.

• Yael van der Wouden - The Safekeep. (Should I have read this over Christmas between watching the (melancholic) final season of My Brilliant Friend? Yes.)